Utah-Based Western Governors University to Award More Than 600 Degrees to Graduates from Across the U.S.

Sun Microsystems Chairman Scott McNealy and Former Governor Mike Leavitt to Speak at Winter Commencement on January 24 at Kingsbury Hall

SALT LAKE CITY, Jan. 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Western Governors University (WGU) www.wgu.edu, the online, nonprofit university based in Utah, will award degrees to more than 600 graduates from 45 states at its winter commencement, set for Saturday, January 24, in Salt Lake City. While WGU students earn their degrees entirely online, more than 80 graduates from 20 states will assemble at Kingsbury Hall to participate in the graduation ceremonies.

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Sun Microsystems Chairman and Co-founder Scott McNealy is slated to deliver the commencement address. In one of his first public appearances since returning to Utah, Michael Leavitt, departing Housing and Human Services Secretary and former Utah Governor, will introduce McNealy and give a brief address.

WGU is a non-profit, online university founded by 19 U.S. governors to expand access to quality higher education for working adults. The university, which offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in Education, Information Technology, Business and Healthcare, is based in Salt Lake City and employs more than 300 Utah residents.

“Distance and online education used to be viewed as the wave of the future, but the success of the WGU graduates proves that the future is now,” said McNealy. “Eliminating the digital divide has long been our cause at Sun, as has eliminating the educational divide through Curriki, and WGU’s unique approach embodies the power of technology for making higher education more affordable and accessible for people from all walks of life. Its demanding and highly respected curriculum ensures that graduates are well prepared to thrive in today’s dynamic and challenging workplace.”

Not all of the graduates attending WGU’s commencement are Utahns — some are traveling great distances to receive their diplomas in person. Tarra Patrick, a U.S. Navy wife, will journey from England to attend. For those who are not able to attend in person, WGU will broadcast the ceremony live over the Internet via streaming video.

Although WGU’s twice yearly commencement ceremonies are steeped in the “cap and gown” traditions of higher education, they also pay homage to the some of the nontraditional aspects of online higher education. For each commencement, graduates are selected to speak and share their WGU experiences. In many cases, their stories are inspirational as they relate the challenges and obstacles they’ve overcome to earn their degrees.

Shari Davis set a goal that was more than just earning her degree. Suffering from cerebral palsy, she promised herself she would walk across the stage without assistance to shake hands with the WGU President Robert Mendenhall and get her diploma. Another graduation speaker, Joanna Goslin, was determined to complete her degree in 6 months despite working part-time and being a mother of three young children.

Scott McNealy is chairman of the board of directors of Sun Microsystems, a company he co-founded in 1982, and chairman of Sun Federal, Inc. McNealy continues to put his leadership and vision to work for Sun. He is a strong advocate for open and competitive business practices and is furthering his commitment to education, working with Curriki, a global education and learning community dedicated to delivering global access to knowledge. McNealy’s vision and business acumen have made him one of the most influential and widely quoted leaders in the complex, fluid and fast-moving IT industry. Sun Microsystems has been a key supporter of WGU, serving on the University’s National Advisory Board since its inception.

The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. Mountain Time at Kingsbury Hall in Salt Lake City, Utah. For more information, please visit www.wgu.edu/winter09.

About Western Governors University (WGU)

“[WGU is] the best relatively cheap university you’ve never heard of. –TIME magazine (Nov. 2008)

WGU is the only accredited online university in the U.S. offering competency-based degree programs. The private non-profit university has been a leader in online education for more than 10 years. WGU is the recipient of the USDLA 21st Century Award for Best Practices in Distance Learning for 2008, awarded in recognition of WGU’s success in expanding access to higher education. WGU has been honored as one of the 2008 Top 20 Military Friendly Colleges and Universities by Military Advanced Education magazine. WGU sponsors the Online Student Survival Guide, a blog that addresses many of the questions and daily concerns online students from any online college or university face.

Now serving more than 11,000 students, WGU was founded by 19 U.S. governors, and is supported by more than 20 leading corporations and foundations. They include institutions such as AT&T, BearingPoint, Dell, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Hewlett-Packard, HCA, Microsoft, Oracle, Qwest, SunGard Higher Education, Sun Microsystems, and Zions Bank. WGU offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business, information technology, teacher education, and health professions, with students in all 50 states. More information is available at www.wgu.edu.

    Contact for media inquiries:
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SOURCE Western Governors University